Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller

This play was written to emphasize the state of America in New York at the time. There was the common misconception at the time that if you worked hard and had the right dreams then you could make something of yourself.

The main plot of the play revolves around a man called Willy Loman. He has always envisaged himself as a top salesman earning amazing pay and really making something of himself. Instead he doesnt even earn enough to pay the bills and so is forced to borrow money off a more succesful neighbour called Charlie.
This is a result of being taken off a salary and working on direct commision. It is on the return of both his sons that he starts deluding himself more than usual, he strongly belives that where he has failed in the life of a salesman his son Biff with succeed. We see numerous significant shots from Willy's past interlinked with the present. This is where we learn of Willy's affair with a woman from Brooklyn and of its effect on Biff when he discovers it.
Willy constantly tells tails about how popular he is and how people adore him. He tells us how he heard of a salesman who died and had hundreds of people attend his funeral. We learn here that Willy values popularity over everything, he belives that it is the key to the success he wants. It is for this reason that he belives so strongly in Biff.

Biff, when he was younger was imensly popular, shunning his studies (particulary in math) to hang out with his many female admirers and all his male friends who idolized him. Biff had it made according to Willy, and was encouraged to steal building materials and congradulated on stealing a football from school. Biff would've had an instant scholorship if it were not for failing maths but he was prepared to take it in summer school until the realization of his fathers affair. Biffs brother Happy (Hap) was amoung Biffs admirers but is now more successful than him.

Happy now suffers some of the same delusion as his father, he believes himself to be an assistant shop keeper where he actually the assistant to the assistant. But he does have an appartment and car and plenty of women. We realize that Happy is actually sexually over active and takes pleasure in concering his collegues women. It is very difficult to empathize with Happy in any way.

Linda Loman is the most stable of all the characters. She is aware of all Willy's failings and yet she sticks by him throughout the play. She panders to his needs somewhat and is accutly aware of Willy's desire to kill himself when she finds he has hidden a pipe behind the gas radiator. She removes this pipe during the day but then returns it to save Willy the embarassment of knowing she has found out.

This play is an insight into a poverty stricken family whom most are plagued with self delusion and false hopes. At the end when Happy and Biffs dreams of starting their own sports company are dashed because of more previous delusion Willy takes his own life in order for the family to gain the insurance money and give Biff the money he needs to start the buisiness.

He does not die the death of a salesman as he wished and very few people turn up at his funeral. This tells us that Willy was not as popular as he has made out.

I thorally reccomend that everyone reads this play, even fairly young teenagers would be able to understand the language used.